EDITORIAL: Our young people need our help

Suicide has taken far too many of our promising young people away lately.

To see a bright young person in their teens or early 20s give up when there’s so much of life yet to experience is unconscionable.

The recent cases of TCNJ senior Paige Aiello and Hightstown High School student Riley Branstrom are the saddest possible stories to read.

According to the New Jersey Department of Human Services, suicide is often called a permanent “solution” to a temporary problem. People struggling with depression or hopelessness often cannot imagine a brighter future. Sometimes suicidal behaviors are triggered by events or challenges that overwhelm a person.

Seeing a need to continue supporting New Jerseyans who are facing these challenges, Gov. Christie launched its first statewide, suicide prevention hotline.

The 24-hour hotline is 855-654-6735 with live, trained, New Jersey-based professionals to assist callers with confidential counseling and referrals to appropriate life-saving treatment

We all face down times in our lives, but some people are less equipped to deal with it then others. We have to make it our mission as parents, neighbors, teachers, brothers, sisters and friends to help each other in times of need.

While New Jersey has the second lowest suicide rate in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate for adults age 35 to 64 has increased by 31 percent from 1999 to 2010. Suicide also ranks as a leading cause of death for young people ages 10 to 24 behind accidents and homicides.

We have to make saving the lives of our young people a top priority in every aspect of our society. This goes for efforts to keep kids out of gangs and away from the criminal element as much as it does to prevent them from giving up hope in their own lives.

If a young person stares into the mirror and sees no hope whatsoever, they need someone else to look at. They need someone to look at them and say “You’re OK. There’s a way out. I’m here to help you.”

Sometimes it’s impossible to give that message to ourselves. Sometimes there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

But there is hope for everyone, and if the message of this editorial or this hotline can save the life of just one young person, it is 100 percent worth it.

Hopefully, we can save a lot more. . In its first week, the hotline got 300 calls, which tells us two things. First, there are a lot of folks out there who need help. Second, there are some willing to get it.

But we’ve all got to be ready to give it. Think about your own life, and if there’s someone who you think needs help, take that step.